{I’d Never Thought I’d…}

Where does the time get to?  I can’t believe it is September.  What happened to all my goals that I set before myself at the beginning of 2010?  Time has a way of creeping up on you, as if you didn’t know of its existence at all, and hits you square in the face.

I had a goal for this blog at the beginning of the year to have a place where I could work on my writing and have you share your writing with me.  We even brainstormed on a title for this place…sigh…I haven’t forgotten.  I am always writing, but more so in my dozen or so journals.  I have decided to enter in an essay contest that I found in Real Simple Magazine.  My goal in writing this essay is to challenge myself to write a thorough and thought provoking piece to share or not share with someone one day.  For the most part, I am writing it just for myself right now.  It would be really cool to win the prize though! 

I believe setting goals, big or small, is so important.  Other goals I am setting is to become a certified fitness instructor, get a PPA certification in photography, run and finish a 5k on Labor Day, and to have my next blog post be about my elderly neighbor and have a picture of her hands….see, big and small goals.

The contest essay topic is “Life Lessons” and they want us to finish this sentence “I never thought I’d…”

Well, here is a snippet of what I have begun to write (Beware:  this is very under-construction)…

“At 28, in a lot of ways, I have just begun to live my life.  There are so many things I haven’t experienced yet…motherhood, traveling to Europe, celebrating 35 years of marriage instead of just 5, raising a family.  What warrants me to write about a life lesson?  What about my eighty-three year old neighbor, with everything she says and does, is something she has learned throughout her long life? 

On the other hand, what about the 4 year old girl with cancer lying in a hospital that will experience a life lesson everyday, and in her tiny life span, will learn more about faith, purpose, and appreciation for life than someone who is way beyond her years.  I may not have lived a long life yet or have experienced a grave illness that plummets me into a sea of life lessons, but I have learned to, in trial and hardship (depression and anxiety), to accept myself, to love deeper, and rely on my faith harder…”

So, that’s is a little of what I have so far.  If you are a reader of this blog and would want to comment on this post with a life lesson of your own, please share.  It can be sad, funny, happy, etc.  Also, if you are interested in submitting an essay to the contest, the details are here.  I hope everyone has a great Labor day weekend!  Enjoy the sunshine!